Education
2008 B.F.A. Drawing and Design
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA
Solo Exhibitions
2008 Apr. That’s What She Said
Empire
Group Exhibitions
2007 Oct. ODU Undergraduate Student Exhibition
Contemporary Art Center of Virginia
Virginia Beach, VA
2010 Apr. Renewal Art Show
The Warehouse
2010 Apr. DADA Spring Gallery Walk
Mary Tomas Studio Gallery
Dallas, TX
2010 May Las Amigas Muertas
37th &Zen
2010 June 2010 Rawls Museum Juried Exhibition
Rawls Museum Arts
Courtland, VA
2010 Jun-Jul SmARTS Smithfield Monthly Arts Stroll
The Arts Center _ 319
Smithfield, VA
2010 Aug Sweet Tooth Art Show
The Coffee Shoppe
Portsmouth, VA
2010 Sep Portrait of the Artist
The Charles H. Taylor Arts Center
Hampton, VA
2010 Nov VA Undertowing Co.
The Artful Dodger
Harrisonburg, VA
Mary Tomas
Studio Gallery
1080 Bldg. at 1110 Dragon Street
Dallas, Texas 75207
Gallery Hours:
Monday thru Friday 10 - 5 Saturday 12 - 4
Small Works: Miniatures by HR Artists
at the Charles H. Taylor Art Center
October 23 - December 4 2011
Opening Reception Sunday, October 23 2:00-5:00
Drop Me A Line!
Or Keep In Touch Via
ThatsWhatSheSaidArt_yahoo.com
Like a favorite animal or favorite color, everyone has that one iconic person that they identify with. For me, it's Bettie Page; for my grandfather, John Wayne. Whether it be for their beauty, originality, or humor, we surround ourselves with images of them like our own little personal patron saints.
These are all 4"X4" on 1.5" deep canvases and are priced at $30.
If you would like one of these with your favorite icon on it, please contact me; I love custom work!
Dimensions and Availability is as follows:
Always Singing Your Praises
The Offering V
Only You
Ascension of Bettie
Birth of Frida
The Offering IV
Norfolk Lifeline
The Awakening of Adonis
Renasci
The Circus
Sending Out a Lifeline
Let Them Fall
La Reina
The Offering
The Offering II
When You're Dead
Heavenly Body
Two Up Two Down
Sangreal
Their Love Was Timeless
Tell Me Sweet Little Lies
Godspeed
Oh The Places You'll Go
The King's Orders
Totem
Voodoo Bettie
Heartstrings
Souls In Our Laps
If you are intrested in any of these pieces,
please feel free to contact me!
If you are interested in custom work, please read my "commissions" page, and you can contact we with any questions or ideas you may have!
I'd love to create something for you!
PayPal is my preferred payment method.
12"X12"
12"X12
8"X10
11"X14"
20"X24"
8"X10"
30"X54"
5"X7"
9"X12"
8"X24"
24"X36"
18"X24"
10"X10"
10"X20"
SOLD
ARTFUL DODGER
MTSGALLERY
ARTS _ 319
In my recent mixed media works, I have been concentrating on everyday life experiences and the basic human emotions that go along with these experiences. Acceptance and rejection, finding and staying true to yourself, giving all you have, and spiritual growth are all major themes in my work. I also incorporate elements of death and the afterlife without making my pieces overly macabre. I use mostly women in my little allegories; some are obscure and some iconic. I will use an iconic woman to embody a certain trait that I am trying to reinforce in a work. In college, I started with very intense Christian paintings and drawings, moved to lithographs about personal experiences, and am now focusing on trying to create mixed media pieces from which everyone can take away something different.
I attended college for painting and drawing. I concentrated on creating very large, very powerful religious works, depicting Christian symbols (doves, lambs, sacred hearts) and Christian scenes (passion scenes, madonnas, pietas). Toward the end of my college career, I became enamored with lithography; I loved the process, and I loved that it enabled me to make multiples of my work. When I would work in lithography, the size of my work was restricted by the size of the litho stones. I felt as though the intensity of my religious work may be compromised due to the size restrictions, so I switched to a lighter subject matter of personal experiences like my job as a waitress, or the stress of graduating, finding a job, and entering the real world. In a way, I used my lithographs as a therapeutic diary about what was happening in my life. I worked a lot with litho plates; these allow you to work digitally, while still using the lithographic printing process. By layering multiple colors and multiple plates, unknowingly my lithographs were setting the foundation for my future in mixed media.
Several months after graduating, while working a 9-5, I started to feel the caustic effects of not having access to a print studio everyday. I started in my usual method by looking for visually interesting images to combine for a piece. Since I had no means to turn these pieces into a lithograph, I started painting small canvases, printing out the collage elements on archival cardstock, and adhering them to painted backgrounds. After working in drawing and lithography, I was immediately excited by the textures created by the mixed media; I also enjoy the freedom you have when working in collage, as opposed to the very process-oriented lithography.
Instead of using Christian scenes and symbols as subject matter, I now use them as integral and contributory elements in my narratives. I extracted the emotions and themes from my former lithographs and apply them in a universal sense rather than just personal. I took the method behind constructing one of my litho plate pieces and adapted it into the tangible and instantly gratifying process of collage.
The way my commissions usually work is:
You give me a brief description of what you're looking for: subject matter, color, size, etc.
We have a discussion about what you envision and how I interpret this vision.
Then pricing, framing and shipping options.
Framing options are as follows.
For custom work you have the option of
1. a regular .75" canvas unframed (standard)
2. a regular .75" canvas FRAMED (an extra charge that would depend on the size and material of the frame)
3. a deep 1.5" canvas that I could paint the edges. You would not have to frame this
(this option would be slightly more than option 1, but significantly less than option 2)
I usually add the estimated shipping cost on to the total price.
But if you are local, I'd be more than happy to arrange a meeting and I could drop your work off personally.
I do accept personal checks, but PayPal is my preferred payment method.
Thank you for looking! Please contact me if there's anything I can create for you!
The Office
Commissioned by Elizabeth Douglas
who wanted a piece about her favorite tv show
She Had A Gift
Commissioned by Laurie Guiffre
for her daughter Jazzy the animal lover
The Plea
Commissioned by Heather Bryant
who wanted a fun work about her kitty
Liebe Auf Dem Ersten Blick
Commissioned by Monique Martin for her parents 25th wedding anniversary
Sorry for the Convenience
Commissioned by Jesse Kleinbeck
who wanted a tribute to Mitch Hedberg
and some of his favorite jokes
The Cagefighters
Commissioned by Kenny Wright
mixed martial artist and cagefighter
La Reina is about the fragility of human life. The tragic character Ophelia is floating lifelessly to remind the viewer of death, while Frida Kahlo looks at her pensively. I chose Frida as the observer of death because she concentrated on this subject extensively in her own work.
Sending Out a Lifeline is about wearing your heart on your sleeve. This work features a woman who has put every piece of herself on a string and has it displayed for the world to see, awaiting rejection or acceptance.
Two Up Two Down is of Queen Elizabeth I throwin up her VA hand sign. And in case my little historical humor is lost on anyone, VA was named after her, "The Virgin Queen."
The Offering is about giving all you have, even if it isnt much. This collage features a little yellow bird giving his song, as well as his heart, as an offering. The word commit appears down the right side as a reminder that in whatever you do, fully commit, and give your whole heart.
Sangreal is about the Holy Grail and the Blood line or Sangreal. A Madonna and angels surround Da Vincis Mona as she throws up her Blood gang sign, and the word Line appears underneath. The movie Da Vinci Code ends with a St. Clair (my mothers maiden name) being a direct descendant of Jesus Christ. I have always has a fascination Jesus and Mary Magdalenes relationship, and this piece is a byproduct of my fascination.
In my work entitled Renasci, I incorporated elements of springtime: birds, bees, flowers, butterflies and nests to symbolize a renewal or rebuilding of a relationship. This piece is about a set of twins, one destined to be successful, or queen bee, leaving the other resentful. After many years and the passing of their mother, the estranged sister goes to visit the other in all her glory asking her forgiveness. The word "renasci" (Latin for "again to be born") encircles the queen's head. On a spiritual level, this can be interpreted as standing before God as a transgressor and being reborn.
Nobody Likes You when You're Dead is about my 3 personal graces:
The beauty of Bettie Page.
The artistic vision of Frida Kahlo.
The humor of Lucille Ball.
The Circus is about staying true to yourself and not losing your faith. Its about realizing that sometimes its beneficial to stray from the maddening crowds and rise above this bizarre circus-like life, take the path less traveled, and better your soul.
Let Them Fall is about having a plan of your own means nothing when you're a part of a greater plan. All you can do is pray.
Flourish
4"X8" Print
$12.00
includes domestic U.S. shipping
8"X8" Print
$20.00
8"X12" Print
$25.00
Think on These Things
